Sons Of Liberty
"Freedom doesn't come free." The Sons of Liberty formed in the era of early Colonial America where they sought to build a new society based more on Enlightenment-era principles of rationality, liberty, and equality. Quickly becoming the national Chapter for the original 13 American Colonies, the SoL today are one of the strongest Chapters operating internationally. Status: Active. Facts: -The SoL are a strange people: they must frequently work for the government, yet they possess an ideology that says all governments are extremely prone to totalitarianism and oppression. The SoL do not discriminate against the Ruling Orders, but they have a healthy distrust for those Orders. -The SoL draw heavily from military and paramilitary professions, but they also champion other walks of life as well. Businessmen, scholars, and scientists are also seen as inventive and productive (ie, 'American'). Both fighters and workers are needed for a healthy nation, after all. -The idea of Natural Law (and Natural Theology) are common subjects for the Sons of Liberty. -The SoL have deep roots in America, especially the government and military. Branches of the Chapter possess a robust military capability and will often be able to deploy 'heavy assets' (military weapons, gear, equipment, even vehicles like Humvees and various helicopters). -The SoL accept members from all Orders equally, so long as they are native citizens with a history of patriotism and who swear an oath to defend democracy and the republic. -The SoL also have a history of allying themselves with the Fraternal Order of Builders whom most Adepts consider to be the SoL's true founding Chapter (most people consider the SoL to be an off-shoot of the Knights of the Round, although Historians within the Chapter say otherwise). -Like most Chapters with a nationalist streak, the SoL prefer to maintain their bases near areas of historical importance to America. -Citizen's Rights is a very important principle to this Chapter and you'll hear it often around them. -The Phrygian Cap is an archaic symbol for the Chapter. The American Bald Eagle is also a major symbol for the SoL as well. -Foreigners tend to equate 'America' with the American government, something which even many Americans themselves are now doing. This frustrates the SoL because America wasn't supposed to be a government - it was a school of thought, an omni-philosophy that touched on an entire society. The SoL do not automatically fall in line with the president or the actions of the American government, in fact they frequently disagree with them. -A major problem the Chapter has always had with its recruitment is the motivation behind some Adepts joining the Chapter. Ideally, someone will join the SoL because they believe in the 'Great Experiment' that is American democracy. Unfortunately, what they often get is radicals, rebels, anarchists and sometimes hardened criminals. The best of the SoL are true statesmen, but the worst are opportunistic anarchs who hide their greed under the guise of fighting for freedom. Don't Trust The Government: No system of government is perfect, but the Sons of Liberty have dedicated themselves to a balanced form of democracy. Tyrants, crime lords, corrupt officials, wherever anyone threatens the state and health of modern society, the SoL will probably show up to correct matters. This pits the SoL against both the Ruling Orders, who often seek to control government or society with the best of intentions, or the Heretical Orders who often seek to tear it down. The SoL frequently also have to lock horns with the Ecclesiastical Orders, who often seek to write into law sweeping changes or programs that are designed to make society better, but often have the net result of limiting people's freedoms. The formation of a rival America-based Chapter, the so-called True Sons of Liberty, was the product of the Order of Fundamentalists and their Ecclesiastical allies. The True Sons of Liberty believe that America is a Christian Nation specifically and this ideal must be brought back into the center of the national life for the country to thrive once again. Current Challenges: The SoL are struggling for membership in a world where people expect democracy to be a given and no longer have an appreciation for people's rights. An overall lack of interest in government or politics combined with a public feeling of apathy has dealt a heavy blow to the Son's recruitment quota. The second major challenge facing the SoL right now is the New World Order. The NWO has infiltrated a lot of National Chapters, but America and Europe are among the worst. SoL and NWO forces regularly battle it out, whether in pitched firefights or games of politics, both at home in the States as well as abroad. Fortress America: The Sons of Liberty tend to be more defensive than offensive historically. Ever since Vietnam, that policy has shifted considerably and America has been more involved in global politics than ever. However, that runs counter to the established historical policy of the Chapter, and indeed many SoL members have recently been pushing for a return to a stronger emphasis on the homefront rather than being out and about across the world. Whether or not such a policy is even possibly in a world as globally connected as ours is up for debate, but its one the Sons of Liberty are currently having as the issue becomes a lightning rod within the Chapter. Militia: The Sons of Liberty Chapter is divided regionally into small units known as Militia. According to the rules of the Chapter, the place of a person's residence determines which Militia they are to join. These Miltia will have a head who acts as the designated leader. The Militia leader can only be voted in and serves for a preset time of office (usually a few years in-between elections). While an Adept does not necessarily have to join a Militia, they make up the backbone of the Chapter's infrastructure. Militia leaders communicate in-between themselves to pass news and organize Chapter-wide actions. Militias also help to ensure that Adepts have a vested interest in seeing the Chapter succeed - since each Militia is homegrown, members of the Militia will feel a strong personal attachment to them. Militias are intentionally kept small since in larger groups the leadership soon becomes distanced from the followers. Areas where many Chapter members live are usually divided up into several Militia. Militias are meant to be small, versatile groups of dedicated people. Militias across the Chapter are meant to work in unison owing to their common heritage and shared ideology. The naming of a Militia usually falls under one of two traditions: either the Militia receives a number following their state name (the Kentucky 32nd, the Louisiana 6th, etc.) or they name themselves after a regional feature (Ozark Razorbacks or Texas Longhorns, for instance). Modus Operandi: The Sons of Liberty adhere to what they call the "Two T's," which are Tactics and Technology. This policy or intellectual paradigm dates back to the American Revolution when the early SoL used greater mobility to outflank British troops and better, upgraded American-style rifles to the more basic and less accurate British guns. This thinking became codified and continues to this day. The SoL put stress on keeping abreast of significant advances in firearm technology and employing those changes to increase strategic capabilities. SoL forces are meant to move swiftly and respond with overwhelming firepower. Separation of Church & State: The doctrine of the separation of church and state, one of the founding principles of American democracy, is precisely the reason the True Sons of Liberty splintered off from the main Chapter. The doctrine dictates that any man, woman or child is free to profess any faith they wish too, no matter how ridiculous or offensive it might be. With such a simple idea, you'd think it would be easy to implement, but nothing could be farther from the truth. Individual states have attempted to enact laws raising one religious denomination as the 'official' state religion, and secular forces push to have any and all religion banned from public or government property. It also doesn't help that political parties routinely curry favor with certain religious groups (the ones that can get them votes) and attempt to legislate towards that faith position. Or that certain religious leaders involve themselves in politics unnecessarily. The wall that separates church and state is a vital one to the American way of life, but there's never been a shortage of people trying to chip away at that wall. Right To Bear Arms: It's a major part of the stereotype about the Sons of Liberty that they are a bunch of gun nuts. To be fair, they do often sport an excessive amount of firearms and ordinance. But this stems not from a psychological pathology and instead from a philosophical point. For the Sons of Liberty, the gun is a symbol of empowerment. "Without gunpowder, there is no Liberty" is a famous phrase from the earliest days of the Chapter. They believe that only an armed population can be responsible for itself. References: -https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00BJOSBOI/ref=dp-kindle-redirect?_encoding=UTF8&btkr=1 -https://www.youtube.com/user/jastownsendandson -http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2647544/ -http://www.amc.com/shows/turn -http://abc.go.com/shows/designated-survivor -https://www.history.com/shows/americas-book-of-secrets -http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0187393/ -https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/april_morning/ -http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0109444/ -http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0285331/ -http://tomclancy.com/ -http://rense.com/general95/areameric_dev.html -http://movies.disney.com/national-treasure -https://www.history.com/shows/sons-of-liberty -https://jamesrollins.com/series/sigma-series/ -http://www.history.org/Foundation/journal/winter12/liberty.cfm -http://sonsoflibertymedia.com/ -http://solspirits.com/home -http://solmc.org/ -https://www.louderwithcrowder.com/ -American Folklore & Legend -http://modernmilitiamovement.com/ -http://americannationalmilitia.com/ -https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Militia_organizations_in_the_United_States -https://www.whitehouse.gov/ -https://www.house.gov/ -https://congress.gov/ -https://www.fi.edu/benjamin-franklin/inventions -https://channel.nationalgeographic.com/american-genius/ Video: Category:Sons Of Liberty Category:Chapter